The Price to Pay
by Mr. Chump Time
Summary: ATF Agent Stu Hopper is at it again, to get the man who killed his partner - Danny "the Phantom" Fenton. Rated M for language, drug use, and violence. WARNING! Not for fans of the show.
1. Chapter 1

The Price to Pay

Introduction

Another sleepless night passed. ATF agent Stu Hopper rolled over off of his bed, and into the kitchen where the phone rang off the hook. "Yeah. What is it?" he asked the other end when he answered.

"We've got another job for you to do, Stu," Administrator Bentley replied.

"You know I'm retired."

"I know. But we think you're the only one who can do it. It's an interesting one."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure to tell you this early—you might get upset."

"Just tell me already."

"It's him. He's back."

"…What?" Stu remembered, "How did he get out again?"

"Trashed a guard and stole his uniform. Took his car too."

"God damn it!" Stu threw his fist down on his table, "I knew; I _knew_ he'd get out of that fucking penitentiary! We should have thrown him in Guantanamo."

"Nobody likes it Stu. We're with you."

"So what's the plan?"

"There's a plane waiting to take you to California. No one has any idea where he is, but we know he's still in the state. His buddies are there too."

"Okay. Give me a little while, and I'll be down there," Stu hung up the phone and washed up to leave.

**

On the plane, Stu talked to Bentley who was with him on the flight, "We're glad you could make it here, Stu," he replied.

"Yeah," Stu answered, still half-asleep, "So what do we know?"

"Like I said before, he's still in the state," Bentley pulled out a map of California and pointed to where San Quentin was, "You know he escaped from San Quentin. It was only yesterday when he was reported missing, so he couldn't have gone very far."

"Are his buddies still living in Frisco?"

"We believe so. He's most likely with them somewhere in the city."

"Have you contacted them yet?"

"Yes, they haven't heard anything, apparently."

"That chick should still be in prison," Stu lit up a cigar, "God damn California justice."

"I know they killed your partner."

Stu glared at Bentley, "Don't talk about him again. May Johnny rest in peace."

"I know. This time, we're seeking death."

Stu looked out the window at the passing clouds below them, "I'm doing this for Johnny, you know."

"I know. That's why I wanted to bring you with us. We're giving you this case."

"You know I'm retired, right?"

"You're the only one who got him last time. If he goes back to his bombs, who knows how many more he could kill."

"It's all that I need. He deserves the chair."

A silence fell across the table they sat at. Bentley knew how much this guy meant to him. He knew that Stu had gone rogue before. There was the threat that Stu could kill just out of vengeance. But Bentley was going to stick with his decision. He was going to let Stu off the leash and get the menace Danny "Phantom" Fenton.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Danny lit up a joint as he sat to chill with his two buddies. They were in an abandoned building outside San Francisco; they're normal hiding place from the cops. His buddies, Tucker and Sam, were glad he got out of jail—he could help them make bombs of their own. They were all Left-wing terrorists, who enjoyed protesting the "Right Conspiracy". The bomb that landed Danny in San Quentin was one that went off during a Tea Party, killing ten people, plus an ATF Agent. They were all willing to go on Death Roe for getting their point across.

Their next target was another Tea Party a few weeks away, and Danny knew what bomb he was going to make. His personal hero was Ted Kaczynski—The Unabomber—and based most of his bombs after his. These ones were beauties, cigar boxes with a little charge of homemade black powder. Around the bag of black powder, were a ton of nails; making great shrapnel. The detonator was spring-loaded, classic and old-fashioned. The plan was, the night before, set up the bombs under large planks of wood. Then when people stepped on them, the time would be right, and they'd go off. They didn't care who they killed, just as long as everyone feared them. And it was working so far.

When Danny took a drag of his joint, he began to ask his buddies about the ATF Agent he killed, "Who was that fuck anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't remember," Sam replied, "Johnny, something"

"Johnny Rembrandt," Tucker answered, "He was an ATF Agent out of Denver, I believe."

"Denver? Why would they want him?" Danny asked.

"He was an explosives expert. He studied the Unabomber really well, and he's one of the guys who fingered him."

"Did he have a partner?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, I believe he was…" Tucker pulled out his laptop and clicked away, "Yes, Stu Hopper. He's from Montana. He was another on the Unabomber case."

"Wow, they were real hot-shots, weren't they?"

"Yeah. It says here online that Stu Hopper worked on the 'XJ-9' case as well."

"What the fuck was that one about?"

"Doesn't say. Not much info on that case. I guess there was some government trickery on that one."

"I'll bet," Sam took a long hard drag from her joint.

"Do you think there'll be Feds after us for breaking you out?"

"Sure do," Danny said, "They'll probably have the Marshalls after us. You know, you two will be wanted everywhere too. You're aiding this fugitive."

"We don't care. As long as we help you, we can go to prison."

"Yeah, we want to personally help you," Sam then began to make out with Danny, while Tucker looked up more info on Stu.

"Says here that Stu Hopper's a veteran of the Ruby Ridge case," he replied.

"Really?"

"Sure is. He's one heck of a shot too. He won the Camp Perry shooting thing a couple times."

"Do you think he'll be coming after us again?" Sam asked.

"Might. Not positive, but he might be on his way over here right now."

**

Tucker wasn't too far off, as Stu stepped onto the tarmac at the airport. "The nearest place is that weird-assed chick's place," Bentley handed him a file.

"Hmm," Stu glanced at it, "Her folks are multi-millionaires. They're probably the ones who could afford the lawyers."

"I'm sending another agent to go with you too."

"What?" Stu turned to Bentley, "I only worked with Johnny."

"This job is too risky. If you want in on it, you're working with someone else."

"Fine. Who is he?"

A larger man came out of a black Suburban and held out his hand to Stu, "The name's Vick Perkins. Pleased to meet yah!" Vick was pretty overweight, but had a big, wide grin on his face. A smoldering cigar in his mouth seemed to stick in the same place, even when he talked. He had a deep, Texan accent, but seemed pretty genuine to Stu.

"Pleased to meet you too," Stu replied.

"Vick, this is Stu Hopper," Bentley introduced.

"Nah, I know Stu. Well, know of him. I'm originally from Dallas, but transferred here after that whole debacle when you were here. I'm terribly sorry about your partner."

"That's okay. Glad to have you with me," Stu answered.

"Well, if you're ready, let's go do some work, eh?" Vick and Stu left in Vick's Suburban. As they were driving, Vick began to talk with Stu, "So, I hear you're quite the shooter," he said.

"Yeah," Stu answered, "I don't really like to brag, but, I've won the Camp Perry shoot a couple times."

"No shit! That's some good shooting. I've grown up shooting down on my papa's ranch in Texas. I doubt I'm as good as you, but I'm not that terrible, either."

"That's always good to hear."

"So, you got any family?"

"Just a brother. I'm not sure where he is right now. But we keep in pretty good contact though."

"Well, that's good. I've got a few brothers and sisters back in Texas, but I have yet to go back there again. Too busy with all these crazies here," his stub of a cigar died and he threw it out the window and grabbed a new one, "Don't mind if I smoke, do yah?"

"I sure don't. In fact," Stu pulled out a cigar of his own and struck a fresh match, "I think I'll have one too."

"Good man, good man," There was a little pause in the conversation until Vick said, "So the 'Phantom' is on the loose again. Where are we headed now?"

"Uh…" Stu looked into the file, "To his bimbo's house, the Mansons."

"Boy, that makes sense. I wonder if she's related to the one and only Manson."

"I'm sure she is," They pulled up to a huge mansion, and were greeted to a very English butler.

"We're looking for a Mrs. Manson," Stu said to him when they got out of the truck, "We're with the ATF."

"Mrs. Manson is right in the parlor. Come with me," They followed the butler inside the huge mansion. The inside was beautiful; it reminded Stu of all the museums he went to when he was a kid.

"Lord," Vick said, "I don't think I've ever been in a house this big before."

"Neither have I," Stu replied.

They heard a voice coming from the parlor, "Who is that Jenkins?" it asked.

"Two ATF Agents here to see you," Jenkins answered. Vick and Stu saw the decrepit woman sitting in a fancy-looking chair, sipping a cup of tea.

"Come in agents," She replied.

"We're Agents Perkins and Hopper," Vick held up his badge, "We're here to ask a few questions about your daughter."

Mrs. Manson went from chipper to angered in the blink of an eye, "What do you want to know about Sam?"

"Her boyfriend," Stu hated to say his name, "Danny 'the Phantom' Fenton just escaped from prison, and we have reason to believe your daughter is with him."

"Can you tell us anything you know?" Vick asked taking out a notebook and a pencil.

"All I can tell you gumshoes is that my daughter will always do the right thing and will help no one," she then got up out of her seat, "Now you get out of my house."

The agents did as they were told, but soon began to question Mrs. Manson, "Boy, she got us out of there in a hurry," Vick replied.

"She's hiding something," Stu answered, "His girlfriend must be helping him out. And that's the place he'd be staying."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Who's next on that list of suspects of yours?" Vick asked Stu after a big drag from his cigar. They were driving slow, through the residential neighborhood where the Phantom lived.

"Let me look," Stu pulled out his file, "his name is Foley. Says here he's a computer whiz."

"Probably the brains of the operation."

"Yeah, shit-for-brains. We're not too far from his house, so let's go pick him up."

"I doubt he's there."

"Well, we can talk to his folks. Get a little info, you know?"

"I guess, but they might not give us anything like Ms. Priss back there."

"It does say here in the file that his folks aren't real big fans of 'the Phantom'."

"Well good," They pulled into the driveway and got out of the truck. After they knocked on the door, they waited for quite a while to get a reply. When they did, a kind woman let them in, "Mrs. Foley, I'm Agent Perkins, and this is Agent Hopper. We're with the ATF, and we'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Come in, gentlemen," Mrs. Foley was very kind to them both. They sat down in a moderate-sized living room when Mrs. Foley asked, "This is about 'the Phantom', isn't it?"

"It is, ma'am," Stu responded, "It's concerning your son, Tucker, is it?"

"Yes, I'm not happy that Tucker's friends with that demon."

"Something we can all agree on," Vick took out his notepad and pencil, "Now, what information about 'the Phantom' can you give us?"

Mrs. Foley sat down and began, "Well, I know that my son did help him break out of prison."

"How so?"

"He drove the getaway car from the prison."

"I thought they stole a guard's car," Stu replied.

"They did, but he was the one who broke into it and drove it away. When he brought that car here, they were all over the news. I told him and his delinquent friends to get lost and get that car away from here. I think he told me that they ditched it in the bay."

"Good, good," Vick wrote in his notepad, "Now, tell me. Is there a hideout that they normally stay in? You know to meet and make their bombs?"

"Well," she hesitated, "What's going to happen to my Tucker when he gets arrested?"

"Don't concern yourself too much, ma'am. Our prosecutors can strike a deal with him to get away with the minimum charge. He probably will get jail time, but he's not going to prison," Stu answered.

"Okay. There's a place along the bay, below the bridge."

"The big red one?"

"The Golden Gate, yes. I can tell you're not from around here, Agent Hopper."

"Sorry, I'm from Montana."

"Oh. Anyway, there's an old, abandoned flour mill. That's where they meet. I remember picking Tucker up from there a while back. I hate it when he does those fucking drugs with those fucking delinquents. If I were to guess where they build those bombs, it's there."

Vick gave is wide grin, "That's great Mrs. Foley. Thanks for that information. Let's go Stu."

They got up and before they left, Mrs. Foley went up and told them, "There's a big Tea Party in a couple weeks, did you two know that?"

Stu paused, "No, when is it?"

"Next week I think. I'm not sure. I overheard Tucker on the phone talking about it," she grabbed Stu's arm and said, "You need, you_ must_ find them before anymore bombs go off."

"We're the best in the Bureau, we'll get that fuck," Stu replied and they left.

When they got in Vick's Suburban, he said, "Well, that was pretty successful."

"Yeah, but now, we going into the hornet's nest."

"Why's that?"

"We're going to need to question 'the Phantom's family."

"Want to get it over with?"

"I hope you brought some Flak jackets."

Vick chuckled it off, and they left for the Fenton's residence. When they pulled up to the house, there was a younger woman waiting for them. When they got out, the young woman began to hassle them.

"Who the fuck are you?" she replied.

"Ma'am, we're Agents Hopper and Perkins," Stu introduced, "We need to ask you a few questions."

"You can fuck off," she sneered at Vick, who lost his grin.

"Ma'am, are your parents home?"

"Sure, but they'll tell you to fuck off too," she went inside, and when Stu and Vick tried to follow, she hissed, "You stay outside."

When the girl was out of earshot, Vick replied, "Lord God, what a cunt."

"No shit," Stu said, "I don't think we'll get anything out of these fucks."

"We'll sneak it out of them. All we need is a little bit of info. 'The Phantom' is too smart to stay at his own home, so they probably haven't seen him much, but he's come here. He had to. The fuck's only 18; and he's probably still scared from the big house. This is safe for him, but not safe enough," Just then, his parents came out of the house.

"Now what do you want to know?" his father was a giant and even towered over Vick. He appeared taller, because he was standing on the steps above the two Agents.

"We're Agents Perkins and Hopper. We were wondering if we could ask a few questions about your son."

"We don't know shit."

"Sir," Stu began, "We have reason to believe that your son came here after he broke out of prison."

"Well, he didn't," the mother replied. She was thinner than the average woman, and all her extremities seemed to bulge out of her anorexic body, "We haven't seen him since the trial."

Vick then took over, "Now, that makes sense. I highly doubt that he would ever come back here."

"What do you mean?" the giant father boomed.

"I mean that he probably doesn't want anything to do with you two. You know, your testimony helped him get in the can."

"What? We testified _for_ him!"

"I know, but it was so terrible, that you probably messed up and gave him away. He's obviously still angry at you two."

"You bastard!" The mother screeched, "We know that our son loves us very much! And he _did_ care enough to…" she stopped when she realized what she was saying.

"Fucking pig!" The father lunged at Vick, but he moved out of the way, causing the monster-of-a-man to fall flat on his face.

Stu had his SIG P229 out and drawn to the father's head as Vick cuffed him, "Assault on an officer of the peace, how much is that for, Vick?" Stu said.

"Oh, a nice $2,000 fine and a little year in the jail," He replied.

"It's a little higher where I come from, so be fucking glad you're not in my home," they threw him in the back of the Suburban and took off, "So what did we get out of them?" Stu asked.

"Now, we know that he goes there. If we need to, we can scope it out and nab the fuck there. But after we drop this fat shit off, we should check out that abandoned mill down by the bay."

"Maybe do a night bushwhack, right?"

"Hell yeah, man."

**

As usual, Danny came back to see his older sister that night. She was waiting for him on the back porch. And when he came over the fence and went up to her, he knew something was wrong. "What's going on, Jazz?" he asked.

"The ATF was here today," she answered, "they know you're still in the city, and Dad—being the ass he is—got himself taken away with them."

"What? They got Dad?! Son of a Bitch!"

"Tell me about it. Anyway, I think Mom spilled the beans about you coming here too. So we need to meet somewhere else."

"Fuck!"

"I think things are going to go way down-hill from now on, Dan."

"Fuck! I…Fuck!"

"Don't worry. I have a place we can meet."

"Really? Where?"

"A coffee shop down on the edge of town. Not many people go there, so I doubt anyone will see you there. Okay?"

"But where will I stash the bombs?"

"Keep them at your girlfriend's house. I don't think they know about there."

"Okay, I'm going," he jumped over the fence, and Jazz went inside. All the while, people were watching.

When Danny got to Sam's house, it wasn't very late. The sun had just set, and he was pretty tired from running around. Her mother gave him some pain killers and he ran upstairs to Sam's room. "You look exhausted," she said and began to take her clothes off, "you've been running around all day today, haven't you?"

"I have," he laid down on the bed, "My leg's are so sore."

"They're going to be more sore after I'm done with you," she crawled on top of him, stark naked.

"We have to meet Tucker,"

"What?"

"The ATF was at my house and they got my dad."

"Holy shit!"

"I know, after we're done, we need to call Tucker and tell him to meet at the mill."

"Okay, but only after we're done," and they began to make passionate love.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Stu was getting a little excited waiting in the old mill with Vick. "Got the itchy-bug, Stu?" he asked.

"Yeah. I do," Stu replied, "Always get a little buggy before a firefight. I know it isn't good."

"It's natural. I hold it back until it's all over. Then I get the jitters. Try to relax and let it be cool."

Stu gave it a shot and leaned a little back. He took a deep breath and calmed down. Everything was going to be fine. "The Phantom" would show up soon enough. They both stood there, waiting for him to show up with his posse. They didn't know if he was armed, or if there was one of his bombs in the building either. The bomb squad hadn't had a chance to look over the place before they got there—there wasn't enough time for them to arrive and for Vick and Stu to catch "the Phantom".

"What happened with _Operation Hospitality_?" Vick broke the silence.

"You know that's classified material, right?" Stu replied, confused.

"I won't tell anyone anything. I don't have any other friends."

Stu hesitated, "It was pretty awful. They didn't let the news in on anything. Totally hidden from the world. It's kind of hard to talk about."

"You don't have to tell me. We just heard rumors around the office about it. You know, they really look up to you, Stu. Not just over _Hospitality_, but over the first time you caught 'the Phantom'. How you kept pursuit, even after what happened to Johnny."

"It was hard. Johnny had been my partner since we got into the Bureau. It was hard after he went away. I still talk with his widow; she's a really nice woman. She was good to him. Sometimes, I wish I could have someone in the world like that."

"Ah, you're still young yet. You've got time. Right now, we're going to nail that fucker."

"Yeah," Stu and Vick then quieted down, and waited for "the Phantom" to arrive.

**

Danny and Sam left her house and met Tucker outside his house. Then they proceeded to go to the old mill, unknowing that Stu and Vick were waiting for them. "So, what's this all about, Dan?" Tucker asked as they walked.

"The ATF is on to me again," he replied, "they know I'm planning on bombing again."

"Well they're right, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if we can bomb the Tea Party on time."

"Why does that matter?" Sam spoke up, "We should just set one off near a gun store or something. Just to get our point across. It really doesn't matter _where_ we set them off, just that we set them off."

"I guess. But I don't know if they got our bombs or what."

"I have the five bombs at my place."

"I know Sam, but did they get the one at the Mill?"

**

"Vick, what the hell is that?" Stu looked at a little box, "Holy shit. That's one of his bombs!"

"Alright Stu, calm down," Vick was calm when Stu began to flash back, "It's going to be okay."

"He's going to kill you like he did Johnny!" Stu ran over to the box, picked it up, and threw it out the window into the bay. The water shot up in a huge column and sprayed dirt and dust down on the mill.

**

"What the fuck was that?" Tucker said.

"The mill!" Danny cried, "It's one of my bombs! It went off early!!" they ran as fast as they could to the mill.

"I hear them!" Vick said and pulled out his SIG, "They're just outside."

Danny burst through the door and saw two shady figures facing him. "You're here for me."

"That bomb was a federal offense," Stu held his drawn P229 to Danny, "and I'm placing you under arrest."

"…You? Agent Hopper?"

"You murdered my partner, you son of a bitch. Now, it's payback time."

Sam shoved Danny out of the way and pulled her own gun, a .25 Auto Seecamp pistol. She fired two rounds at Stu and Vick, but she missed and they ducked after the first shot. Stu returned fire, and double tapped Sam, hitting her once in the leg. She went down, and let go of her gun. Tucker then jumped in to grab her gun. Vick shot Tucker in the arm before he could level his gun, and he went down hard. Danny carried Sam off and ran away, before the other agents arrived.

Vick cuffed Tucker and dragged him away, "That was a close one," He replied to Stu, "You handled that one very well."

"Thanks. He still got away though," Stu replied.

"Don't worry, I think his friend will probably crack under the pressure," Vick then threw a dazed Tucker into the Suburban.

**

Danny carried Sam back to her house. She was crying in pain from the hard gunshot wound Agent Hopper dealt her. And when they returned, Danny and Sam's mom had no idea what to do about the wound.

"What the fuck happened?!" Sam's mom screamed at Danny.

"We were set up," he replied, "They got Tucker, but Sam got shot too."

"Oh my God!" they laid Sam down on the kitchen table and removed her pants. When they removed them over the wound, blood shot up at them like a fountain. The wound was huge, it was near the knee, but the bullet hit close to the bone, and ruptured the artery.

"Get me some medical tape," Danny took his shirt off to block the blood flow, "Do you have medical tape?"

"I think so," she ran off as Danny tried to put pressure to stop the bleeding. Then he tore a strip from his shirt and tied a tourniquet to her upper thigh.

"It's going to be okay Sammy," he cooed as she cried in immense pain.

Sam's mom came back with a roll of duct tape, "this is all we have. We have to get her to a hospital, or she'll bleed to death."

Danny taped his shirt to the wound, "I don't know if I can."

"What do you mean 'you can'?! That's my daughter! I opened my home to you and you let my little girl bleed to death?!"

"Alright! Fine! Warm up the car, we'll go to an all night clinic, okay?"

As soon as he said it, she was in the garage. Danny picket up Sam from the table and they took off to find a hospital near by.

**

"That girl can't be that far," Stu said to Vick as they relaxed at the station.

"We can look for them later," Vick replied, "You need to hit the sack. A man needs his sleep to catch the bad guys."

"I know. I'm on that fuck's scent. I know that I can find him soon."

"Soon enough. We still need to interrogate a few guys. You go hit the rack and take a rest. I'll wake you up later to go interrogate."

"Alright," Stu went to the bunk room and took a bunk to sleep. It was hard to close his eyes after how close he got. The words "the Phantom" said years ago were buzzing around in his head like an angry hornet. It was like yesterday.

**

It was a bright and sunny day in San Francisco, as Stu and Johnny patrolled the streets for "the Phantom". A week before, they received a note from him, and the threat against the local Tea Party was too serious to be laughed off—and all the dud bombs they found around the city made them take this "Phantom" serious. On this day, they were patrolling around the Tea Party, asking around if anyone had seen someone drop a box of sorts around them.

"Johnny, you check the north side of the Tea Party," Stu replied, "I'll check around here on the east side."

"Sounds good, Stu," Johnny took off and began to search around.

Stu was talking to a little old lady, "Ma'am did you see anyone drop a box of sorts around here?" he asked.

"Know that you say it," she began, "there was some punk kid who dropped a box around here."

"Excellent, now do you know where he dropped it?"

"I think it was over there," she pointed to the north side of the Tea party, "He threw it in that ditch over there."

Stu realized Johnny was still over there. He began to run through the crowd in a panic, "Johnny!" He cried, "Johnny!"

Soon Johnny saw Stu running over and started to jog to him, and when he hopped over the creek, the bomb went off. A cloud of dust rose from the impact sight in the creek. Johnny didn't see it, because there was a crowd blocking the ditch. And when the smoke of the bomb cleared, Stu saw the Johnny's lifeless body slumped over in the ditch.

"JOHNNY!!!" Stu screamed, but he knew Johnny was dead.

Right then, a mysterious man approached him from behind and whispered, "Do you like my works?" It was "the Phanom".


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The waiting room at the clinic was cold when Danny and Sam's mother waited to hear about Sam. Her wound was bad, and she almost bled out before they got there. Soon the doctor came out and gave them the news, "Well, we stopped the bleeding," he said, "but, she's in no condition to go out anywhere."

"Thank God she's still alive," Danny replied

"Now, tell me again how she got that wound in the first place?"

"She…" he stuttered, "We were attacked by a big, thug. And when we didn't give him our wallets, he shot her and left."

"Really. Okay. Now, do you know who that man looked like?"

"Uh, no, he had a stocking over his head."

"Well, alright. I'll just call the police and they can…"

"No! No police!"

The doctor became confused, "Why not?"

"They'll find me again and they'll kill me!"

"Well, don't worry," the doctor walked over to the counter and picked up the phone, "The police can…" he then noticed that Danny was gone.

**

"Stu," Vick said as he tried to wake him up, "Stu, wake up, buddy."

Stu rolled on his back and replied, "What is it?"

"Time to wake up. You slept for a good five hours."

"I did?"

"Yep. We're going to interrogate the sister. We want you to be there."

"Alright," he got up, "When did we get his sister?"

"Last night. They picked her up and brought her down here," Vick handed him a cup, "Have some coffee."

"Thanks," they walked over to the interrogation rooms, "Now, what do you think he knows?"

"We think she knows where the bombs are being hidden."

"Why would she know that?"

"Well, it seems as if she has a pretty close relationship with her brother. And we may be able to set her up with a wire."

"That would be good," they strolled into the room where Jazz was at.

When they arrived, she threw her fists down on the table and said, "You'll never get anything out of me, you pigs!"

"Cool your jets, woman," Stu lit a cigar, "Now, we have you on harboring and aiding a fugitive. That's a hefty $10,000 fine."

"Well, you'll never catch Danny!"

"Oh, we sure will. And you're going to help us," Vick went over to a counter and picked up a tape recorder and microphone.

"You're going to wear this and meet with him. Or, you can serve some time down in the can," Stu replied.

Jazz didn't know what to do. She didn't want to go to prison, but she didn't want to help the police either.

**

Danny needed to meet Jazz at the coffee shop on the bay, but he was still worried about Sam. The mill had been infiltrated, and he couldn't hide there anymore, and he couldn't stay at Sam's house for much longer. Sam's mother was beginning to resent him, and she was starting to become hostile to him. "When do you think that Sam's going to be back home?" he asked.

"I'm going to get her this evening," her mother replied, "I don't want her to get into any more trouble."

"She won't. I promise. I need to go meet Jazz at that coffee shop. I'm going to go."

Before he walked out the door, Sam's mother said, "You promise Sam won't get in any more trouble?" and she handed him a little bottle.

"Promise," he took it and left.

The coffee shop was small, and sat on a road that ended a few buildings away. Danny felt pretty safe there, but he was being watched. When he entered, he saw Jazz sitting at a table near the window, with a coffee waiting for him. "You need to be careful," she said, "cops are everywhere."

"I know," he opened up the bottle and took out two pills and swallowed them hard, "the mill was raided last night, they got Tucker and Sam got shot."

"Shit. How is she?"

"She'll be fine now. I don't think she'll ever walk right again. If we didn't get her to a hospital in time, she would have bled to death."

"Fuck. Those fucking pigs."

Meanwhile, a flower delivery van held the cops, and Stu and Vick were watching the coffee shop from across the street. "Would she just shut the fuck up and give him away?" Stu muttered when he heard her from the radio.

"So, where are you hiding the bombs again?" Jazz asked.

"I thought I already told you," Danny replied.

"Well…I…forgot."

"God damn it," Vick replied from the Suburban, "she's slipping up. He's going to pick up on this."

"Jazz, is something wrong?" Danny said.

"They…" she began.

"Fucking shit," Stu muttered, "she's giving us away! We have to move! Now!"

"They have me on a wire! Danny! You need to run!!"

Danny got up and looked across the street and saw the same Suburban from the old mill and began to run out to the back door. Two men were running towards the coffee shop with their guns drawn. He looked back at Jazz in absolute fear. Then, he ran. Soon Stu and Vick came crashing through the door, hot on his trail.

The back door lead to a long alley, which stretched around back into the city. Danny ran down the alley, hopeless in trying to get away from Stu and Vick. But right when they rounded a corner, three big punks came out of a building and blocked Stu and Vick. They were a few yards from them.

"You punks get lost," Stu growled.

"Where do you pigs think you're going?" one punk said.

"That kid's a fugitive," Vick replied, "You let us through, or you're going down."

"Well, we're not moving," another said.

Stu looked at Vick and said, "Let's kick some ass," and they ran towards the punks. They didn't have any weapons, so Stu and Vick couldn't just shoot them, but they could still beat them down to the ground. One lunged at Stu with an outstretched fist, but Stu intercepted it and threw him over his shoulder. Then, Stu hit him with the heel of his cowboy boot on the head, knocking him out cold. Another reeled back to hit Vick, but Vick went low, and got the punk in the gut. Then he wheeled around and brought the punk down to the ground. The last punk pulled his fists back and ran to Vick and Stu. They stood side-by-side and when the punk got close enough, they gave him two opposite upper cuts to the jaw, and sent the punk to the ground.

Other officers came to help them, but it was already over. "He got away," Stu muttered.

"We have him on the run," Vick said, "he can't be too cocky," then, they heard an explosion in the distance, towards the city.

"Oh, shit," Stu and Vick took off towards the looming cloud. When they arrived, they found that one of Danny's bombs went off outside a gun store. They began to investigate the scene, "Was anyone hurt here?" Stu asked the store owner.

"No, thank God," he replied, "I went to get a beer in the basement when, boom!" he emphasized the explosion with his hands, "Some fuck set a bomb off right outside my store."

"Were there any other customers in you store?" Vick said.

"Nope. It was a slow day. But that prick better pay me back for a new window. Broke mine."

"We'll get onto that. Did you see anyone run from your store before the explosion?"

"Well, after I heard it, I went upstairs and outside to see if anyone was around you know? But when I went outside, the smoke cleared and I did see two people running away," he pointed up the street going into the city, "One was limping heavy, and the other was, sort-of, carrying him. Over his shoulder."

"How about before the explosion? Before you went to get a beer?" Stu asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, I did see someone drop a box outside my window. It was like a cigar box.

"What did he look like?"

"It wasn't a he. It was a girl. Now that I think about it, she looked injured too. Does that help?"

"Sure does," Vick got done writing in his notebook, "Thanks," they left to get Vick's Suburban and talked about the case for a while, "So the limping fella was that girlfriend he has," Vick said to Stu.

"Yeah," Stu responded, "She hasn't had time to really heal from that gunshot. She must be bleeding heavily. And she must have escaped from the hospital; no doctor would let someone walk after such a wound."

"I'm not sure they'd be dumb enough to go back to her house. Would they?"

"I don't know. We can't really just barge into there for no reason. We'd need a warrant. And that sister didn't give us shit for where the bombs are," they started to drive back to the station, "Isn't there a Tea Party this week?"

"Yeah. There is. I can't remember when it is."

"We need to find out when. That's their target. Just like last time. But we'll be ready for those fucks this time."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After arriving at the station, Stu and Vick were ready to end this case and lock up "the Phantom" for good. "So we know that the Tea Party is a target," Stu said, "But we don't remember when it is."

"Correct," Vick replied, "So what's our plan?"

"I think we should talk to that kid we caught at the night raid. Find out where the bombs are going to be stashed. That kid can't be too tough; seems like a real wimp to me. I just wish we knew when that Tea Party was."

"The Tea Party?" An officer asked as Stu and Vick walked by him, "You mean the one tomorrow?"

They stopped and turned to the officer, "The Tea Party is tomorrow?" Stu said.

"Yeah, tomorrow at around 10:30."

"10:30?" Vick looked at his watch, "We only have 19 hours before it starts."

"We have to break that kid," Stu turned to the officer, "thanks for telling us that," and they both ran off to the room where he was being held.

Tucker was more than pleased to see Stu and Vick, "You pigs better let me go!" he said as he sat at a table, just waiting for them to get pissed.

"Not going to happen," Vick replied as he and Stu lit up cigars, "You're going to the big house for aiding a fugitive."

"It's civil disobedience. I have every right to do so. It's in the constitution."

"The Constitution never said that you can aid a criminal who kills innocent people," Stu said, "Civil Disobedience was dreamed up by Thoreau, not George Washington."

"Well, I'm not talking."

Vick threw his fists down on the table, "Look, you slimy, son of a bitch, we have a psychopathic killer on the loose, who's planning on killing more people than he ever has before, and you're going to sit here, and not even give one fuck?"

"That's right, Mr. Pig."

Before Vick could throw a punch at Tucker, Stu pulled him back and whispered to him, "We can't hit him. The evidence will be dismissed in court."

"How are we going to get the info out of him?" Vick asked.

"The mind," Stu began to ask Tucker questions, "Now, you're not going to talk, are you?"

"How long did it take you to figure that out?" he replied.

"Well, I'm sure you're mother would want you to talk. She even told us that she didn't want you to even think about your buddy 'the Phantom'."

"What? She likes Danny!"

"That's not what she told us. In fact, you associating yourself with that kid, you're basically giving your mother the finger."

"No!"

"Yes. You are. She wants you to be successful, and you're fucking up. You're going to the Can instead of college. She told us that you had a full-ride scholarship to Berkley."

"I…did?"

"He did?" Vick whispered to Stu.

"You sure did. You can't go to college if you're locked up in the big house. Can you? I'm not sure how."

"…No! Mom likes Danny!"

"She doesn't. Besides, do you think he would do the same for you?"

"…What?"

"If you were 'the Phantom' and he was you? I don't think he would do the same for you."

"Yes he would! He would do the same for me!"

"He would sing like a canary if you were on the lam. He would never, _never_ take the fall for you."

"Yes he would!"

"Kid, when will you wake up and smell the coffee? He cares about _himself_ not his buddies. You're so sheltered and naïve, that you don't even realize that he would get rid of you, off his back, then run like a jackrabbit, away from," Stu pointed with maximum emphasis, "you."

"No!"

"And think of your poor mother! She didn't deserve this! _You_ didn't deserve this! She's going to live her life knowing…"

"No!"

"…that she raised a criminal. That it was her fault…"

"No!"

"…That she has to live every day of the rest of her poor, sad, life, knowing that her son…"

"Okay! Okay! The bombs were going to be planted tomorrow on the north side of the Tea Party at Mission Dolores Park!! There's three bombs left, and they're all stashed at Sam's house! Just tell my mother I love her! And tell her I'm sorry!"

Stu leaned back and puffed his cigar, "You did you're mother proud. Let's go Vick."

Vick finished up writing in his notebook, and they left. "That was incredible," he said to Stu, "How did you do that?"

"It's the old guilt-trip. My old man used to do it to me, and I'd crack every time. It works on a lot of people. But if we were interrogating 'the Phantom', it wouldn't work. He's too cold. Now, did you get all of that?"

"I sure did."

Just then, a young officer came up to them, "Agents Hopper and Perkins?"

"That's us, kid," Stu replied.

"There's a warrant on the way for the Manson household. If you wait for a while, you can go there and grab those bombs."

"Today just keeps getting better and better!" They both ran off and left for Sam's house.

**

Danny knew that the cops were on the way. The only one that could ever help him was Sam, and she was hurt. They went to her house and rounded up all the bombs, and now needed a new place to hide. "I don't know where we can go!" Danny said, "Everyone is after us!"

"I know," she limped onto her bed, "We need a hotel room. And I've got some money too."

"Really?"

She pulled out her mother's credit card, "The magic is here. I took it after she left for work."

"Okay, let's round up the last bombs, and we'll get a hotel room, near the park. Then, tonight, we can set them up."

"Alright. I need to remove my bandages," Sam began to pull the bandages off; then Danny decided to help. He got a bundle of gauze, and put it on the opened wound. It had gotten worse since she had been walking with him. Danny didn't have any medical tape, so he bandaged the gauze with duct tape. Sam was getting worse, and he knew that she needed to rest. So, they stole her mother's car, and drove to a hotel near Mission Dolores Park.

When they staggered into the seedy hotel lobby, the desk clerk wasn't surprised. "Do you folks need a room?" he said.

"Yes, a room. A single will be fine," Sam said

"That's all we have," he punched a few numbers into an old computer, "You're room's number 16," he handed them a key, "Have a nice stay."

The two staggered off, and got as comfortable as they could in the room. Sam turned on a light, and cockroaches scurried under the furniture. She didn't really mind, but to Danny, it was like sleeping in a sewer.

"This place is a dump," he muttered as he put his bag down beside the bed.

"It's just a natural environment for cockroaches and mice," Sam replied, "There's nothing to fear."

"Well, anyway. I think that tonight, I'm going to set up the bombs. Then tomorrow, I want to check them to see if they go off."

"Okay, but let's rest first," she patted the bed and he followed. They both fell asleep, in relative safety, but they had sunk so low since Danny's first bomb was made.

**

Mrs. Manson pulled into her driveway, watching cops come in and out of her house. She got out of her Lexus and replied, "What the fuck is going on around here?!"

"We have a warrant to search the premises," Vick handed her the document, "We have reason to believe the bombs are being stashed here."

"Bombs?! What?"

"The bombs that are going to be used tomorrow," Stu replied.

An officer went up to Stu and Vick and said, "Agents, we have something for you to see up here," they went upstairs to Sam's room, "There's some gunpowder residue on this bookshelf."

Stu rubbed his finger in the dust and gave it a sniff, "Yep, that's gunpowder. But did you search all of the room?"

"Yes sir. But we couldn't find anything."

Vick quit writing in his notebook, and he and Stu left, "They must have taken off. There's a million hotels in this God-forsaken city," He told Stu.

"Who knows where they could be," Stu said as they got in the Suburban, "I think our only chance of catching them is to get them red handed at the Tea Party."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"You guys going to be okay out here?" an officer asked Stu and Vick. They were sitting in the Suburban on the north side of Mission Dolores Park, waiting for daylight to come.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Vick replied, "all we need to do now, is wait."

The other officer left; and they were left to watch young couples romance in the darkness at the park. "I could really use a drink right now," Stu said.

"Me too."

Silence fell in the truck, as they sunk into their seats and puffed cigars. "What did they tell you about _Hospitality_?"

"They told us that it was a government operation to destroy a terrorist device. And that's it."

"You know you can't tell anyone about this, right?"

"Who would I tell?"

"_Operation Hospitality_ was to destroy with extreme prejudice a robot."

"Robot?"

"Yeah. A robot, made by a radical atheist, who was bent on destroying the 'Judeo-Christian Empire'."

"So was this robot, a human-like robot? Or was it more like Robby?"

"It was like a human. To track it down, I got some help from my little brother, and my buddy Marty. But when we got to it, there were four kids who were trying to defend the robot, then all hell broke loose and we rigged explosives to it and blew it sky-high."

"So that's what happened. There was absolutely no news coverage of that."

"Yeah. So much for freedom of press, eh?"

They stopped for a while, letting the quiet music fill the air in the car, until Vick broke the silence, "I know what it's like to lose a partner."

"You lost your first partner?"

"It was my own damn fault anyway."

"Do you mind if I ask how it happened?"

"I don't mind anymore. It was years ago, when I was still a greenhorn. My partner was a vet of the Bureau, and he was trying to really teach me the ropes. Anyway, we were working on a rum-running case down near Shreveport, Louisiana, and we came up to this Cajun cabin. I went up there and knocked on the door, to stupid to realize there was someone on the other side with a shotgun. My partner pushed me out of the way and took the blast."

"That's awful. What did you do after that?"

"I burned the cabin down with everyone inside. Press thought it was an accident. But later, I realized his wife and kids were in there when it burned down. I was so blinded by hate that I murdered innocent people. And I'll never forget that. But you have to remember Stuart," he leaned over close, "when you go after the Phantom, you better make damn sure there's no one in your way. I can't stop you from getting vengeance, but don't be like me—don't be blind and go kill a bunch of people who are in your way. Can you promise me that?"

"I promise. But the Phantom is mine."

"Stu?"

"Vick."

"Don't fuck up."

Nothing happened for a few hours, so Vick and Stu decided to lean back and take a rest. The morning would come soon enough.

**

The day came too soon for Danny and Sam. When the sun shined in his eye, he realized that he forgot to set up the bombs the night before. He scrambled to get up and get all the stuff ready when Sam woke up. "What's wrong, Danny?" she asked.

"I forgot to set up the bombs last night. I slept in. I'm going to have to do it today," he replied.

"When does the Tea Party start?"

"I think at ten. Why?"

"It's only seven. You still have time."

He glanced at the clock, "I guess your right. How's your leg?"

"It still hurts. Badly."

"Do you want me to change your bandage?"

"No, I'll be fine."

He took out the little bottle and swallowed two pills.

"What are those?"

"Nothing. Just something Jazz gave me."

"No they aren't. Let me see them," she sat up and pulled the bottle out of his hand, "Codeine? Do you know how bad these chemicals are for you?"

"Codeine isn't a chemical Sam," he took the bottle back; "It's from poppy plants. It's natural."

"It's still not good for you. You shouldn't do those drugs."

"It's fine. I have it all under control," Danny crawled back into bed with Sam and relaxed, "Let's cuddle for a while," then they both fell asleep again.

**

"Hey, Vick," Stu said, "Wake up. I'm getting some breakfast. What do you want?"

Vick woke slow, "Uh, get me a coffee. I drink it black. And how about a hot dog?"

"Sure, that sounds pretty good. I pick up a few of those," Stu left and Vick began to think back to when he was still new to the Bureau. About his first partner. About what he did those years ago. Soon enough, Stu was back and they started eating breakfast.

"What time is it?"

Stu looked at his watch, "Around 7. We have three hours until the Tea Party."

"Want to look for any suspicious items after breakfast?"

"Okay," they enjoyed their hot dogs, then got out of the Suburban and looked around the park for a while. After a long look, they found nothing and decided to wait by the truck again.

"I wish I knew where that fuck was," Vick said as he sipped his coffee and leaned on the truck.

"I know," Stu replied, "this tension is killing me," the Tea Partiers were coming to the park early and setting up. They both went up to an older couple and told them of who they were looking for.

"We haven't seen anyone like that around here," the older woman said to Vick and Stu.

"Would you mind telling us if you do see them? We need to talk with them," Vick replied.

"That would be okay. We'll look out for them."

Stu and Vick went back to the Suburban and waited. "Now, we play the waiting game," Stu said, "The bait is set, and all we need to do is be patient."

"Kind of reminds you of the old days, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I remember waiting for Weaver up in Ruby Ridge."

"That was one hell of a cluster fuck."

"It was. I still can't believe we fucked up that bad there. If _I_ was in charge, Weaver would be in prison, and his kids still alive."

"We all know it. That's what tarnished the Bureau's reputation," they sat in the Suburban and waited again.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Danny slept in again. He opened his eyes and saw the clock on the wall read "12:13". "Son of a bitch," he muttered.

"What's wrong now?" Sam asked.

"I slept in again," he got up and put a hooded sweatshirt on, "We have to put these bombs up, now!" He threw the three bombs in his bag.

Sam tried to get up, but she couldn't. So Danny helped her, and she replied, "How are you going to set those bombs off anyway?"

"One of them has a timer on it. I can set it when we get there."

"Don't you think someone would notice you?"

"They're Tea Partiers, they don't know their ass from a hole in the ground," they left through the lobby, without checking out.

**

Vick and Stu ate lunch at a nearby delicatessen, watching the Tea Party. "See anyone suspicious?" Vick asked Stu.

"No, not yet," Stu replied, "He's late. Last time, he was right on time; three minutes after the Tea Party started. It's been a couple hours, and I haven't seen him."

"He's slipping up, isn't he?"

"Maybe. But he'll show up. I know it," Stu then noticed a girl limping, "Do you see her?"

"No, who?"

"That girl. She's limping."

Vick took a look, "I see her."

"Now where's…" soon Stu saw Danny, "There's our guy. He's right next to her in the hood with the backpack," they got up, "Let's get 'em," and they left the restaurant. They didn't draw their guns yet, to avoid a panic. Stu noticed that the Phantom's gait was slower, and dazed. He was loosing it, Stu knew it too. Danny and Sam had no idea who was behind them.

Danny was trying to help Sam walk to the main epicenter of the Tea Party, when someone came up behind him and grabbed his arm and said, "It's over, Dan," Hopper had caught up with them. Sam pushed Stu away and told Danny to run. He did, but Stu was hot on his trail. They ran down an alley, while Vick tried to apprehend Sam, but she pulled a Hi Point 9mm out of nowhere and shot herself below the chin, through the skull. Another officer ran over to assist Vick with the body, but Danny heard the shot, so he stopped and turned around to see. He saw Sam's dead body slumped over Vick's arms, but he didn't know who shot her. This isn't how it was supposed to happen—now his plans were falling apart in his hands. He soon saw Hopper running towards him at a blistering pace. Danny had to keep running.

The words Vick told Stu were buzzing in his head as he chased Danny up the street. He had his gun out, but he wasn't going to shoot just yet. But he would, if things got out of hand. Danny was headed for an abandoned apartment building—that sat up on the ledge of a bluff. It was out of the way from anyone living in the area, so Stu knew it was safe enough to fire a gun. The doorway was boarded up, but Danny threw himself on it and crashed through. The dust rose in the air when Danny fell, and cobwebs covered the roof.

"Dan!" Stu screamed from outside, "Give it up, Dan! You're not getting away again!"

In a panic, Danny ran up the old stairs, and hid in a corner. Stu came in soon after and looked around the first floor for him.

"Dan! I know you're in here!" Stu began to slowly walk up the stairs, his gun pointed up the staircase. The steps creaked when he inched closer to Danny. When he got up to the second floor, he turned to see Danny hiding behind his backpack, "It's over Dan. And you're not getting away this time," He said without lowering his gun.

Danny ran down the hall, and Stu chased him to another wall. Danny stopped and dropped the bag, but Stu tackled him, and they went through the rotten wall into another room. Stu grabbed Danny by the collar and got him up.

"This is it for you Dan," Stu said, walking him into a closet.

"What are you doing?" Danny cried.

Stu handcuffed Danny to a railing in the closet, then picked up the bag and reached in to grab a bomb. The bomb had a timer, and Stu set it to one minute. He then shoved it in Danny's hand and closed the closet door. Stu then ran out of the apartment and walked away.

Danny tried to open the door with his free hand, but couldn't. He looked down at the bombs and saw the timer click down, from 3, 2, 1.

The street shuddered from the explosion. It blew the windows out of houses miles away, and rained debris and shrapnel all over the neighborhood. Stu didn't even flinch from the blast, and turned around to see the building demolished, collapsed in from the second floor. He grinned wide, because Agent Johnny Rembrandt could now rest in peace.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Epilogue

Vick and Stu stood at the tarmac, waiting for the ride back to Montana. When it arrived, Vick bid Stu farewell. "Listen Vick," Stu put his bag down in front of the jet, "You and me, we're not made for the big city."

"What do you mean?" Vick replied.

"We're country boys. We need the open range and the stars at night. You don't belong here."

"I know. I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Why don't you come on up to Montana with me? I need a partner."

"Oh, I don't know, Stu. I don't think they'd look too kindly on that."

"I already sent a transfer order to my superior yesterday. He just sent me the okay. Why don't you come?"

Vick looked up at the jet, then back at the city. He went over to his Suburban and pulled out a few suitcases, "I never liked it here, anyway."

Stu grinned. They both boarded the jet and left for Montana, ready to take up the next case.


End file.
